Hairpiece and method of making



Oct. 6, 1959 G. M. LE MOLE 2,907,334

HAIRPIECE AND METHOD OF MAKING Filed March 14, 1957 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Illv INVENTOR 1=:.E GERALD M. LE MOLE ATTORNEYS Oct. 6, 1959 e. M. LE MOLEHAIRPIECE AND METHOD OF MAKING 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed March 14, 1957IL=L INVENTOR GERALD M LE MOLE ATTORNEYS United States Patent HAIRPIECEAND METnon on MAKING Gerald M. Le Mole, Staten Island, N.Y. ApplicationMarch 14, 1957, Serial No. 646,017 '6 Claims. (11. 271--'s Thisinvention relates to the art of concealing baldness in human beings andmore particularly to a hairpiece and method of making the same whichwill provide an artificial and natural appearing substitute for humanhair which has been lost, due to advancing age or other rea- The art ofmaking toupees or hairpieces has been practiced for many years, butduring this time there has been little advancement in the art and thepresent tedious, time consuming and costly method of making hairpieceshas been utilized with only minor variations for a relatively longperiod of time.

Hairpieces are now manufactured by providing a Wooden manikin having acontour corresponding to the contour of the scalp of the person who isto utilize the hairpiece and an outline of the area to be covered bythehairpiece is determined and marked on the manikin. 'A piece of netmaterial, referred to in the trade as an atamine, is tacked down to thewooden manikin and a piece of silk cloth of the desired color is tackeddown over the atamine. The silk cloth is marked with the outline of thearea to be covered by hair and hair is applied thereto by pulling astrand of the atamine through the silk cloth to form a loop andthereafter weaving strands of hair through the loop and knotting thesame to secure the hair to the loop. Since the'thread of the atamine informing the loop is somewhat resilient upon release thereof, the loopand knot are retracted through the silk cloth with the result that theknot lies substantially in the plane of the atamine. In this procedure,the knot must be made in the proper manner since the direction in whichthe hair will lie depends upon the way in which the knot is tied. Theknot commonly employed for this purpose is known as a weavers knot.

Upon completion of the hair weaving operating, a second piece of silkcloth is placed in contact with the inner surface of the atamine and theatamine, as well as the two pieces of silk cloth are sewn together alongthe edge, together with a binding strip of silk ribbon which serves toprovide a complete hairpiece. The completed hairpiece may then beapplied to the scalp and held thereon by means of adhesive tape, but itis to be noted that the knots in the atamine will provide a relativelyuneven sur-' face which is not particularly comfortable and furthermore,it is sometimes quite ditficult to provide *a suitable fit on the scalpof the user. 3

These prior art hairpieces have many disadvantages, among which are thefact that they cannot be Washed in soap and water but mustbe cleaned inbenzine or other suitable cleaning fluid and due to the fact that theknots are not set or fixed in any. way, considerable hair is lost whenthe same is combed. Furthermore, combing of the hair is very diificult,since if the loss of hair is to be held at a minimum, the knots must beheld in place by the fingers while the combing operation proceeds, buteven in following this procedure, considerable hair is still lost. Thecost of making a hairpiece in the above described ,Y 2,907,334 l atented Oct. 6, 195,9

of is relatively short being from six months to a year depending uponhow carefully the same is handled. Furthermore, the hair cannot becombed in any desired direction, but must be combed in accordance withthe placement of the knots securing the hair in place.

The present invention is designed to provide a hairpiece substantiallydevoid of the above mentioned disadvantages and to provide a method ofmaking a hairpiece which materially simplifies such work and therebyreduces the cost and at the same time, produces a hairpiece of superiorquality.

It is accordingly an object of this invention to provide a hairpiecewhich may be conveniently applied to the entire scalp or any partthereof, without the use of adhesive tape and which permits washing insoap and water while applied to the scalp, as well as normal combing ofthe same in any desired direction. I

A further object of the invention is the provision of a hairpiece whichmay be secured to the scalp by a waterproof adhesive and one to whichcommercial hair dressings or other solutions'may be applied inordertopresent the same groomed appearance as with natural hair.

A still further object of the invention is theprovision of a hairpiecewhich is materially lighter in weight than. conventional hairpiecesproduced by prior art methods. A further object of the invention is theprovision of a hairpiece having a smooth inner surface which materiallycontributes to comfort and to providing a firm bond be: tween thehairpiece and the scalp of the user.

A still further object of the invention is the provision of a method ofmaking a hairpiece which is relatively showing the step :of applying aplastic'to the net material manner is relatively high and furthermore,the life there simple as compared to prior art methods thereby materi--ally reducing the cost of manufacture.

Another object of the invention is the provision of a method of making ahairpiece which involves setting of the knots by means of a plasticwhich serves to retain the knots in position thereby precluding the lossof hair and at the same time, provides a smooth inner surface for thehairpiece.

A still further object of the invention is the provision of a simplifiedmethod of making a hairpiece which may be conveniently utilized to forma hairpiece of any desired size or configuration and one which may bewashed in soap and water and combed in the same manner as normal hairwithout danger of pulling the hair loose from the hairpiece. i

A still further object of the invention is the provision of a method ofmaking a hairpiece which involves the use of a net material which isimpregnated with a suitable plastic, such plastic being cured prior toweaving of the hair therein and thereafter the inner surface of thehairpiece is coated with the same plastic which is cured to set the hairknots in place and to provide a smooth inner surface. Further objectsand advantages of the invention will be apparent from the followingdescription taken in' conjunction with the accompanying drawing wherein:

' Fig. 1 is a view in side elevation with parts broken away and insection for greater clarity and-showing, a metallic mol-d,'together withthe first step in the making of a hairpiece in accordance with themethod of this invention;

'Fig. 2 a side elevational view similar to Fig. 1 and forming theatamine to impregnate the same and provide a base for receiving thehair;

Fig. 3 a side ele'vational view showing the head of the user and themanner of indicating on the atamine, the area to be covered by hair; f

"Fig. 4 a fragmentary sectional view with parts in eleva V 3 tion forgreater clarity and showing the first step in weaving hair into theatamine;

Fig. 5 a fragmentary sectional view with parts in eleva tion for greaterclarity andshowing the formation of the knot to hold the strand of hairin place on a loop of the atamine;

Fig. 6 a fragmentary sectional view with parts inelevation for greaterclarity and showing 'a strand of hair secured in place and with the knotwithdrawn into the atamine;

Fig. 7 a view in perspective showing the step of applying a plastic tothe inner surface of the atamine after completion of the hair weavingoperation;

Fig. 8 a fragmentary sectional view showing the structure of thehairpiece after completion of the hair weaving and plastic curingoperation on the inner surface of the atamine;

Fig. 9 a view in elevation showing the atamine applied to the mold forfinal curing of the coating of plastic on the inner surface of theatamine;

Fig. 10 a view in perspective showing: the step of trimthing thehairpiece to final form; and

Fig. 11 an elevational view of the head of the user and showing themanner of applying and securing the hairpiece to the scalp.

With continued reference to the drawing, there is shown in Fig. l a moldit which may be formed of any suitable metallic material, such asaluminum or copper and the upper portion 11 of the mold it is providedwith a contour conforming to the contour of the head to which thehairpiece is to be applied. This contour may be obtained from a woodenmanikin in the same manner as heretofore used for constructinghairpieces. v T he mold 10 may also be provided with a base flange 12which serves to support the same during making of the hairpiece and mayalso serve as a convenient means forsupporting the mold over a suitableheat source to be utilized during the curing operation which will beexplained below.

The first step in the method of making a hairpiece in accordance withthis invention involves the provision of apiece of net material 13 whichmay be composed of cotton or nylon or any other desired fabric materialand this piece of net material is commonly termed an atamine and is of asize somewhat larger than the area of the scalp to be covered by thehairpiece. For convenience and description, the net material 13 willhereinafter be referred to as the atamine and such atamine 13 is appliedto the appropriate portion of the outer surface of the mold 10 and issecured in place in intimate contact with such surface by a suitableadhesive tape 14. It has been found that ordinary masking tape issuitable for this purpose.

As shown in Fig. 2, the atamine 13 may then be painted or otherwisecovered with a suitable plastic to impregmate the atamine and at thesame time, build up a layer of plastic of the desired thickness on theouter surface of the atamine 13. With reference to Fig. 4, the atamine13 is shown to an enlarged scale and the layer of plastic 15 is shown onthe outer surface thereof. As shown in Fig. 2, the brush 16 may beutilized to apply the plastic to the atamine 13, but if desired, theplastic may be applied by spraying or by any other suitable operation.The plastic employed is a commercially available product and will be ofthe desired color or sufficiently transparent or translucent to permitthe scalp of the user to be visible therethrough which results in thehairpiece having the appearance of a natural scalp.

After a sufficient amount of plastic has been applied to the atamine 13to impregnate the sameand build up a layer 15 thereon of the desiredthickness, the mold 1i] and atamine 13 secured thereto is subjected toheat at the required temperature and for the: required time to cure theplastic and such heat may be applied in any desired manner, such as byplacing the entire mold and ataminein an o ten or by applying heat onlyto the in- 4 terior of the hollow mold 10. The conductivity of the mold10 is, of course, sufficient to transmit heat to the plastic impregnatedatamine and to cure such plastic.

After curing of the plastic, the atamine 13 is removed from the mold 1iand the same may be applied to the head 17 of the user, in order to markthe desired area to receive hair, as by a pencil 13 or in any otherdesired manner, or if desired, the area to be covered by hair may beobtained from a paper pattern or template previously prepared from theusers scalp.

After the area to receive hair has been marked, the hair weavingoperation is commenced and such operation is shown in Figs. 4, 5 and 6of the drawing.

The hair weaving operation is accomplished by utilizing a needle 19commonly termed a ventilating needle and such needle 19 may be providedwith an elongated shank 2t) terminating at one end in a point 21 andhaving a hook 22 spaced inwardly from the point 21. The needle 19 isutilized by inserting the pointed end through the plastic layer 15 onthe atamine 13 and picking up one of the threads 23 forming the atamineand withdrawing the same through the plastic layer 15 to form a loop 24outwardly of the plastic layer 15. A strand or strands of hair 25 may beinserted through an eye in the end 26 of the needle 19 and drawn throughthe loop 24 or the strand of hair 25 may be drawn through the loop 24 bythe hook 22, much in the same manner as utilized in the art ofcrocheting. After the strand of hair 25 has been drawn through the loop24, as shown in Fig. 5, a knot 27 is formed therein to secure the strandof hair 25 to the loop 2-4 and this knot 27 is conventional in form andis commonly known as a weavers knot. Upon completion of the knot tyingoperation, the strand of hair 25 is released and the resiliency of thethread 23 will serve to draw the loop 24 and knot 27 through the plasticlayer 15 and into the atamine 13, in such a manner that the knot isentirely concealed from the outer surf-ace of the atamine and only thestrand of hair 25 projects through a small puncture in the plastic layer15. This hair weaving process is continued until the entire area toreceive hair is covered to the desired thickness and it is to be noted,that in this process it is immaterial on which side of the loop 24 theknot 27 is formed, since this does not determine the direction in whichthe hair must be combed, as was the case in the prior art method ofmaking hairpieces.

Upon completion of the hair weaving operation, the inner surface of theatamine 13 is coated with the same plastic as was previously applied tothe outer surface thereof and, as shown in Fig. 7, this coating processmay be carried out by a brush 28 or the plastic may be applied byspraying or in any other desired manner. This plastic is applied to theinner surface of the atamine 13 in a sufiicient quantity to completelycover any projections caused by the knots 27 within the atamine and toprovide a smooth inner surface thereto. The structure of the atamine 13,together with the plastic layer 15 and plastic inner layer 29 is shownin Fig. 8 and it will be seen that a completely smooth inner surface isprovided and that the strand of hair 25 of which there are many, merelyprojects through a puncture in the outer plastic layer 15.

The atamine 13 with the plastic coating 29 on the inner surface thereofis again applied to the metallic mold 10 and the same is subjected toheat at the required temperatureand for the required time to cure theplastic inner coating which results in providing a unitary article withthe plastic inner and outer layers 29 and 15 firmly bonded to theplastic impregnated'atamine 13 and in which the cured inner plasticlayer 29 serves to securely set the knots 2'7 in position to preventmovement of the same and to prevent withdrawal of the hair 25 duringcombing operation and the inner layer 29 further provides a smooth innersurface for intimate contact with the scalp of the user.

Upon completion of the final curing operation, the atas mine 13 andcured plastic is removed from the mold and as shown in Fig. 10, the pairof scissors 30or other cutting means may be utilized to trim thecompleted hairpiece to the desired shape and size and also if desired,the hair 25 may be trimmed to any desired style.

Thereafter, as shown in Fig. 11, it is only necessary tQapply thecompleted hairpiece to the scalp 31 of the wearer and the hairpiece maybe conveniently secured to the scalp by a suitable waterproof adhesivewhich may be contained in a collapsible tube 32 or may be applied in anyother desired manner and in this manner, the hairpiece is retained inplace on the scalp for any desired length of time.

As stated above, the hairpiece of this invention may of the wearer andfurthermore, the hair may be combed in any desired direction withoutloss of the same and without utilizing any special combing technique andin view of the fact, that only a single layer of fabric is utilized, anextremely thin and light hairpiece may be provided with the result ofeffectively simulating natural hair and scalp and also in preventingdiscomfort to the wearer. Since the hairpiece of this invention isrelatively thin, use of the same does not result in undue perspirationwhich, of course, materially contributes to the comfort of the wearer.

It will be seen that by the above described invention there has beenprovided an improved hairpiece and method of making the same whichmaterially reduces the cost thereof by simplifying the manufacturingprocedure and also provides a hairpiece more closely simulating naturalhair and resulting in a minimum of discomfort to the user.

It will be obvious to those skilled in the art that various changes maybe made in the invention without departing from the spirit and scopethereof and therefore the invention is not limited by that which isshown in the drawing and described in the specification, but only asindicated in the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. A method of making a hairpiece comprising forming a hollow metallicmold with the outer surface thereof having a contour conforming to thecontour of the scalp to which the hairpiece is to be applied, applyingan atamine of net material to the appropriate portion of the surface ofsaid mold, securing the edges of said atamine to said mold with adhesivetape, painting said atamine with a plastic to impregnate the atamine andprovide a plastic outer surface thereon of the desired thickness,subjecting said mold to heat at the required temperature and for therequired time to cure said plastic, removing said atamine from saidmold, successively pulling loops of the threads forming said atamine tothe plastic outer surface, weaving strands of hair through said loopsand knotting said strands to said loops, permitting said knots and loopsto retract into the atamine below the outer surface, coating the innersurface of said atamine with a plastic to set the knots and provide asmooth inner surface, applying the plastic coated atamine to said mold,subjecting said mold to heat at the required temperature and for therequired time to cure the plastic on said inner surface, removing thehairpiece from said mold and trimming the same to the desired shape andsize to provide a complete hairpiece.

2. A method of making a hairpiece comprising forming a metallic moldwith the outer surface thereof having a contour of the scalp to whichthe hairpiece is to be applied, applying an atamine of net material tothe appropriate portion of the surface of said mold, securing the edgesof said atamine to said mold, painting said atamine with a plastic toimpregnate the atamine and provide a plastic outer surface thereon ofthe desired thickness, subjecting said mold to heat at the requiredtemperature and for the required time to cure said plastic, removingSaid atamine from said mold, successively pulling loops of the threadsforming said atamine through the plastic outer surface, weaving strandsof hair through said loops and knotting said strands to said loops,permitting said knots and loops to' retract into the atamine' below theouter surface, coating the inner surface of said atamine with a plasticto set the knots and provide a smooth inner surface, applying theplastic coated atamine to said mold, subjecting said mold to heatatthe-reqnired temperatureand for the required time to cure the plasticon said inner surface, removing .the'hairpiece from said moldandtrimming the same to the desired shape and size to provide a completehairpiece.

3. A method of making a hairpiece comprising forming a metallic moldwith the outer surface thereof having a contour conforming'to thecontour of the scalp to which the hairpiece is to be applied, applyingan atamine of net material to the appropriate portion of the surface ofsaid mold, securing the edges of said atamine to said mold, applying aplastic to said atamine to impregnate the atamine and provide a plasticouter surface thereon of the desired thickness, subjecting said mold toheat at the required temperature and for the required time to cure saidplastic, removing said atamine from said mold, successively pullingloops of the threads forming said atamine through the plastic outersurface, weaving strands of hair through said loops and knotting saidstrands to said loops, permitting said knots and loops to retract intothe atamine below the outer surface, coating the inner surface of saidatamine with a plastic to set the knots and provide a smooth innersurface, applying the plastic coated atamine to said mold, subjectingsaid mold to heat at the required temperature and for the required timeto cure the plastic on said inner surface, removing the hairpiece fromsaid mold and trimming the same to the desired shape and size to providea complete hairpiece.

4. A method of making a hairpiece comprising forming a mold with theouter surface thereof having a contour conforming to the contour of thescalp to which the hairpiece is to be applied, applying an atamine ofnet material to the appropriate portion of the surface of the mold,securing the edges of said atamine to said mold, applying a plastic tosaid atamine to impregnate the atamine and provide a plastic outersurface thereon of the desired thickness, subjecting said atamine toheat at the required temperature and for the required time to cure saidplastic, removing said atamine from said mold, successively pullingloops of the threads forming said atamine through the plastic outersurface, weaving strands of hair through said loops and knotting saidstrands to said loops, permitting said knots and loops to retract intothe atamine below the outer surface, coating the inner surface of saidatamine with a plastic to set the knots and provide a smooth innersurface, applying the plastic coated atamine to said mold, subjectingsaid atamine to heat at the required temperature and for the requiredtime to cure the plastic on said inner surface, removing the hairpiecefrom said mold and trimming the same to the desired shape and size toprovide a complete hairpiece.

5. A method of making a hairpiece comprising forming a mold with theouter surface thereof having a contour conforming to the contour of thescalp to which the hairpiece is to be applied, applying an atamine ofnet material to the appropriate portion of the surface of said mold,securing the edges of said atamine to said mold, applying a plastic tosaid atamine to impregnate the atamine and provide a plastic outersurface thereon of the desired thickness, subjecting said atamine toheat at the required temperature and for the required time to cure saidplastic, removing said atamine from said mold, successively pullingloops of the threads forming said atamine through the plastic outersurface, weaving strands of hair through said loops and knotting saidstrands to said loops, permitting said knots and loops to retract intothe atamine below the outer surface, coating the inner surface of saidatamine with a plastic to set the knots and provide a smooth innersurface, applying the plastic coated atamine to said mold, subjectingsaid atarnine to heat at therequired temperature and for the requiredtime to cure the plastic on said inner surface and removing thehairpiece from said mold to provide a complete hairpiece.

6. A hairpiece comprising an atamine of net material impregnated andcoated on the outer surface with plastic, strands of hair knotted toloops of the threads forming said atarnine with the knots disposedWholly within said atamin'e below the outer plastic surface and abovethe inner surface of said atamine and a plastic coating on the inner;surface of said atamine to set said knots and provide a smooth innersurface.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS1,464,089 Ernest Aug. 7, 1923 1,490,466 Hupka Apr. 15, 1924 1,845,380Westmore Feb. 16, 1932 FOREIGN PATENTS 1,074,386 France Mar. 31, 1954

